The number and types of motor vehicle crash deaths differ widely among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. A state's population has an obvious effect on the number of motor vehicle deaths. Fatality rates per capita and per vehicle miles traveled provide a way of examining motor vehicle deaths relative to the population and amount of driving. However, many factors can affect these rates, including types of vehicles driven, travel speeds, rates of licensure, state traffic laws, emergency care capabilities, weather, and topography.

Data subsections:

Fatal crash totals

There were 34,247 fatal motor vehicle crashes in the United States in 2017 in which 37,133 deaths occurred. This resulted in 11.4 deaths per 100,000 people and 1.16 deaths per 100 million miles traveled. The fatality rate per 100,000 people ranged from 4.5 in the District of Columbia to 23.1 in Mississippi. The death rate per 100 million miles traveled ranged from 0.58 in Massachusetts to 1.80 in South Carolina.
Federal Highway Administration. 2018. Traffic Volume Trends, January-December 2017. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Transportation. Available: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/travel_monitoring/tvt.cfm

Deaths by road user

In 2017, the types of motor vehicle crash deaths varied across states. For example, North Dakota had both the highest percentage of deaths involving SUV and pickup occupants (49 percent) and the lowest percentage of deaths involving car occupants (22 percent). In contrast, Ohio had the highest percentage of deaths involving car occupants (47 percent) and a relatively low percentage of deaths involving SUV and pickup occupants (22 percent). The District of Columbia had the highest percentage of crash deaths involving pedestrians (35 percent) and was tied with Hawaii for the highest percentage of crash deaths involving bicyclists (6 percent). The highest percentage of motorcyclist deaths occurred in Hawaii (23 percent).

Motor vehicle crash deaths by road user type and state, 2017

State

Car occupants

Pickup and SUV occupants

Large truck occupants

Motorcyclists

Pedestrians

Bicyclists

Total*

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

Alabama

399

42

307

32

18

2

79

8

119

13

7

1

948

100

Alaska

22

28

25

32

0

0

6

8

14

18

1

1

79

100

Arizona

264

26

213

21

18

2

163

16

216

22

30

3

1,000

100

Arkansas

171

35

173

35

26

5

65

13

42

9

3

1

493

100

California

1,318

37

642

18

41

1

529

15

858

24

124

3

3,602

100

Colorado

213

33

196

30

20

3

103

16

92

14

16

2

648

100

Connecticut

115

41

46

17

4

1

57

21

48

17

3

1

278

100

Delaware

45

38

24

20

0

0

10

8

33

28

5

4

119

100

District of Columbia

12

39

2

6

0

0

4

13

11

35

2

6

31

100

Florida

1,009

32

611

20

38

1

590

19

654

21

123

4

3,112

100

Georgia

571

37

475

31

44

3

139

9

253

16

15

1

1,540

100

Hawaii

37

35

22

21

0

0

25

23

14

13

6

6

107

100

Idaho

70

29

109

45

11

5

25

10

16

7

3

1

244

100

Illinois

460

42

247

23

16

1

162

15

145

13

26

2

1,097

100

Indiana

371

41

235

26

15

2

149

16

101

11

13

1

914

100

Iowa

117

35

106

32

14

4

48

15

23

7

5

2

330

100

Kansas

174

38

167

36

12

3

56

12

33

7

5

1

461

100

Kentucky

338

43

230

29

8

1

90

12

83

11

7

1

782

100

Louisiana

259

34

229

30

26

3

96

13

111

15

22

3

760

100

Maine

63

37

51

30

5

3

26

15

20

12

2

1

172

100

Maryland

214

39

102

19

6

1

86

16

114

21

10

2

550

100

Massachusetts

126

36

80

23

4

1

51

15

74

21

11

3

350

100

Michigan

407

40

249

24

8

1

150

15

156

15

21

2

1,030

100

Minnesota

140

39

93

26

6

2

55

15

38

11

6

2

357

100

Mississippi

307

44

228

33

16

2

40

6

71

10

7

1

690

100

Missouri

367

39

298

32

11

1

121

13

96

10

9

1

930

100

Montana

54

29

85

46

2

1

23

12

14

8

1

1

186

100

Nebraska

85

37

79

35

4

2

27

12

20

9

3

1

228

100

Nevada

86

28

56

18

2

1

54

17

91

29

9

3

309

100

New Hampshire

47

46

22

22

0

0

15

15

11

11

2

2

102

100

New Jersey

222

36

104

17

5

1

83

13

183

29

17

3

624

100

New Mexico

98

26

130

34

11

3

53

14

74

20

2

1

379

100

New York

347

35

182

18

10

1

145

15

242

24

46

5

999

100

North Carolina

605

43

336

24

25

2

176

12

198

14

29

2

1,412

100

North Dakota

25

22

56

49

6

5

12

10

5

4

2

2

115

100

Ohio

556

47

264

22

14

1

157

13

142

12

19

2

1,179

100

Oklahoma

211

32

224

34

20

3

93

14

78

12

5

1

655

100

Oregon

162

37

113

26

10

2

57

13

69

16

10

2

437

100

Pennsylvania

467

41

250

22

27

2

187

16

147

13

21

2

1,137

100

Rhode Island

36

43

10

12

1

1

11

13

21

25

2

2

83

100

South Carolina

378

38

265

27

14

1

145

15

154

16

18

2

988

100

South Dakota

42

33

51

40

6

5

16

12

10

8

0

0

129

100

Tennessee

460

44

269

26

18

2

134

13

124

12

8

1

1,040

100

Texas

1,238

33

1,146

31

90

2

490

13

607

16

59

2

3,722

100

Utah

94

34

75

27

8

3

39

14

42

15

6

2

273

100

Vermont

29

42

16

23

0

0

13

19

8

12

0

0

69

100

Virginia

317

38

239

28

16

2

117

14

111

13

12

1

839

100

Washington

208

37

131

23

8

1

80

14

103

18

14

2

565

100

West Virginia

107

35

109

36

8

3

26

9

26

9

3

1

303

100

Wisconsin

275

45

158

26

4

1

77

13

56

9

7

1

613

100

Wyoming

37

30

51

41

7

6

17

14

6

5

0

0

123

100

U.S. total

13,775

37

9,581

26

683

2

5,172

14

5,977

16

777

2

37,133

100

*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Crash types

Nationwide, 54 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths in 2017 occurred in single-vehicle crashes. The District of Columbia had the highest percentage of deaths in single-vehicle crashes (77 percent), while Indiana, Michigan, and Minnesota tied for the lowest (49 percent each).

Deaths by crash type and state, 2017

State

Single-vehicle

Multiple-vehicle

All crashes

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

Alabama

553

58

395

42

948

100

Alaska

51

65

28

35

79

100

Arizona

556

56

444

44

1,000

100

Arkansas

272

55

221

45

493

100

California

1,979

55

1,623

45

3,602

100

Colorado

331

51

317

49

648

100

Connecticut

155

56

123

44

278

100

Delaware

61

51

58

49

119

100

District of Columbia

24

77

7

23

31

100

Florida

1,595

51

1,517

49

3,112

100

Georgia

815

53

725

47

1,540

100

Hawaii

55

51

52

49

107

100

Idaho

135

55

109

45

244

100

Illinois

564

51

533

49

1,097

100

Indiana

448

49

466

51

914

100

Iowa

177

54

153

46

330

100

Kansas

239

52

222

48

461

100

Kentucky

406

52

376

48

782

100

Louisiana

433

57

327

43

760

100

Maine

88

51

84

49

172

100

Maryland

287

52

263

48

550

100

Massachusetts

232

66

118

34

350

100

Michigan

509

49

521

51

1,030

100

Minnesota

176

49

181

51

357

100

Mississippi

373

54

317

46

690

100

Missouri

508

55

422

45

930

100

Montana

114

61

72

39

186

100

Nebraska

125

55

103

45

228

100

Nevada

171

55

138

45

309

100

New Hampshire

61

60

41

40

102

100

New Jersey

362

58

262

42

624

100

New Mexico

199

53

180

47

379

100

New York

587

59

412

41

999

100

North Carolina

759

54

653

46

1,412

100

North Dakota

68

59

47

41

115

100

Ohio

618

52

561

48

1,179

100

Oklahoma

349

53

306

47

655

100

Oregon

248

57

189

43

437

100

Pennsylvania

597

53

540

47

1,137

100

Rhode Island

56

67

27

33

83

100

South Carolina

560

57

428

43

988

100

South Dakota

69

53

60

47

129

100

Tennessee

579

56

461

44

1,040

100

Texas

1,863

50

1,859

50

3,722

100

Utah

145

53

128

47

273

100

Vermont

38

55

31

45

69

100

Virginia

478

57

361

43

839

100

Washington

329

58

236

42

565

100

West Virginia

184

61

119

39

303

100

Wisconsin

315

51

298

49

613

100

Wyoming

73

59

50

41

123

100

U.S. total

19,969

54

17,164

46

37,133

100

Alcohol involvement

Some states report blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for only a small percentage of passenger vehicle drivers. If BAC is missing for a driver, it is estimated by the U.S. Department of Transportation's multiple imputation model.
Subramanian, R. 2002. Transitioning to multiple imputation — a new method to impute missing blood alcohol concentration (BAC) values in FARS. Report no. DOT HS-809-403. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. However, BAC information is most precise in states that report a high percentage of crashes where BAC information is reported. In the following table, estimated percentages of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers with BACs at or above 0.08 percent are shown only for states in which BAC reporting for fatally injured drivers was 70 percent or higher. Estimated percentages are based on known BAC when available and imputed BAC for the remaining drivers.

For the nation in 2017, BAC was reported for 62 percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers. The state with the highest reporting rate was Oklahoma at 93 percent; Indiana had the lowest reporting rate at 29 percent.

Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia had BAC reporting rates of at least 70 percent. Among these states, the District of Columbia had the highest estimated percentage of fatally injured drivers with BACs of 0.08 percent or higher (70 percent) and Kentucky had the lowest (19 percent).

Restraint use

Based on daytime observational surveys conducted by the states, the nationwide rate of seat belt use among front seat passenger vehicle occupants in 2017 was 90 percent. The states with the highest observed seat belt use for front seat occupants were Georgia, Hawaii, and Oregon at 97 percent, while the lowest was New Hampshire at 68 percent.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 2018. Seat belt use in 2017 — use rates in the states and territories. Report no. DOT HS-812-546. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Transportation. Rates of restraint use among fatally injured motor vehicle occupants will be lower than observed restraint use because unrestrained occupants are more likely than restrained occupants to be fatally injured in a crash. Restrained fatally injured occupants include occupants in child safety seats and occupants restrained by seat belts. Only two states, California and Oregon, had at least 60 percent restraint use among fatally injured occupants. In contrast, four states—Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and South Dakota—had use rates below 30 percent among fatally injured occupants.

Rates of observed daytime front-seat belt use and number and percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants by restraint use and state, 2017

State and percent of observed seat belt use

Restrained fatally injured occupants

Unrestrained fatally injured occupants

Unknown restraint status of fatally injured occupants

Total fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

Number

Alabama

93

263

37

399

56

49

7

711

Alaska

90

25

53

16

34

6

13

47

Arizona

86

208

43

228

47

45

9

481

Arkansas

81

156

44

171

49

25

7

352

California

96

1,211

61

605

30

169

9

1,985

Colorado

84

179

43

225

54

13

3

417

Connecticut

90

82

50

51

31

30

18

163

Delaware

91

34

49

32

46

3

4

69

District of Columbia

94

5

36

3

21

6

43

14

Florida

90

916

56

675

41

58

4

1,649

Georgia

97

488

46

463

44

109

10

1,060

Hawaii

97

19

32

21

36

19

32

59

Idaho

81

63

35

96

53

23

13

182

Illinois

94

354

49

268

37

99

14

721

Indiana

93

304

49

209

34

102

17

615

Iowa

91

99

44

101

45

26

12

226

Kansas

82

148

43

170

49

28

8

346

Kentucky

87

284

49

290

50

2

<1

576

Louisiana

87

206

42

245

50

41

8

492

Maine

89

61

54

53

46

0

0

114

Maryland

92

163

50

119

37

43

13

325

Massachusetts

74

41

20

130

62

37

18

208

Michigan

94

357

54

194

29

114

17

665

Minnesota

92

134

57

71

30

30

13

235

Mississippi

79

225

41

313

58

5

<1

543

Missouri

84

230

34

383

57

59

9

672

Montana

78

54

38

85

59

4

3

143

Nebraska

86

49

29

101

60

18

11

168

Nevada

91

63

43

70

48

12

8

145

New Hampshire

68

19

27

52

73

0

0

71

New Jersey

94

195

59

119

36

18

5

332

New Mexico

91

109

48

108

47

12

5

229

New York

93

307

57

171

32

63

12

541

North Carolina

91

505

53

402

42

50

5

957

North Dakota

79

28

33

46

55

10

12

84

Ohio

83

359

43

378

46

92

11

829

Oklahoma

87

167

38

236

53

39

9

442

Oregon

97

173

62

55

20

53

19

281

Pennsylvania

86

251

35

345

48

127

18

723

Rhode Island

88

22

46

24

50

2

4

48

South Carolina

92

301

46

310

48

37

6

648

South Dakota

75

24

25

64

67

7

7

95

Tennessee

89

367

50

305

41

66

9

738

Texas

92

1,332

55

884

36

207

9

2,423

Utah

89

78

46

82

49

9

5

169

Vermont

85

21

46

21

46

4

9

46

Virginia

85

260

45

307

53

9

2

576

Washington

95

184

53

104

30

58

17

346

West Virginia

90

76

35

99

45

44

20

219

Wisconsin

89

209

48

182

41

49

11

440

Wyoming

85

28

32

56

64

4

5

88

U.S. total

90

11,436

48

10,137

43

2,135

9

23,708

Rural versus urban

Nationwide, 46 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths in 2017 occurred in rural areas. The states with the highest percentage of crash deaths on rural roads were Montana (90 percent), North Dakota (90 percent), and South Dakota (84 percent). The states with the lowest percentage were Massachusetts (6 percent), New Jersey (13 percent), and Connecticut (16 percent). The District of Columbia had 0 crash deaths in rural areas because its entirety is coded as an urban area.

Number and percent of motor vehicle crash deaths by land use and state, 2017